|
CANON/CANNON |
“Canon” used to be such a rare word that there was no temptation to
confuse it with “cannon”: a large piece of artillery. The debate over
the literary canon (a list of officially-approved works) and the
popularity of Pachelbel’s Canon (an imitative musical form related to
the common “round”) have changed all that—confusion is rampant. Just
remember that the big gun is a “cannon.” All the rest are “canons.” Note
that there are metaphorical uses of “cannon” for objects shaped like
large guns, such as a horse’s “cannon bone.”
